This invention relates to a buoy system for aiding in the recovery of a towline used in the towing of apparatus on, in, or over water by a helicopter.
Helicopters are used by the military to tow various apparatus, for example airborne mine countermeasure devices designed to explode or otherwise neutralize underwater mines. The apparatus is towed by means of a cable or towline having a towball or other releasable connecting element at the proximal end thereof. The towline can thereby be quickly released from the towing helicopter if jettisoning is desired or made necessary by various operating conditons. Heretofore, the recovery of the towline and associated apparatus, jettisoned either inadvertently or intentionally, has required the assitance of a surface vessel. Of course that is a costly, time consuming, and in many instances impractical solution.